ASI 2600MM-Pro Disconnecting and/or Displaying Static

mralpaca

Hi everyone,

I am having recent trouble with my 2600MM-P, which is around 2.5 years old at this time. Yesterday when I went to shoot the moon with Sharpcap, I started seeing static across the screen after a few seconds then the program froze and the USB disconnect sound could be heard. I went into NINA and the camera was not recognized (this happens sometimes when there is an error), so I unplugged the camera from power then reconnected it. Nina recognized it, but when I went to take some test frames, after a few seconds of good 1s subs, the static came in, followed by a disconnect error. I tried again today, and having recently seen a video about users who have issues with EM interference with cables wrapped up together (this is the case with my setup), I thought to try a new cable. Nina recognized the camera and controls the cooler and does around 15 test shots, followed by the same static and error. Sharpcap does the same thing.

Panicking, I did the following to try to isolate the issue, and unfortunately, it seems like it may be a camera problem:

I tried another USB 3.0 cable directly into my imaging PC (second attempt at this); did not work
Downloaded the ASI studio program to the imaging PC and tried with the 2nd and 3rd cable; did not work (ASI studio drops it after the static)
Replaced the power unit, thinking maybe it was a bad cable, I plugged it into an old power unit I used to use; did not work
Took out another laptop and installed the ASI drivers and ASI studio and tried multiple power cables and USB cables and this had the same issue

At this stage, given the guide camera and other accessories (filter wheel, focuser, mount) can be recognized and controlled by the camera, I am wondering if there is some software fix or bug that has popped up somehow? If not, it may be the USB port or something inside the camera itself. I live in southern CA, which has very low humidity, so I am not super concerned about that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca Could you test the camera in ASIStudio and refer to this guide to catch the SDK log and send to us for further analysis?

how-to-get-sdk-log-without-dbgview-on-windows.pdf

549kB

mralpaca

Tech@ZWO I received my RMA and filled in my address, but have not received my shipping label. Would you mind checking on this?

Thank you!

mralpaca

See attached for the logs. The long log was also taken during a sequence run (the very end) that had the static that would come in.

The encouraging thing is when I fully unwind all my cables, it seems to be working, which may imply interference (I had my power cable and dew heater cable wrapped up together, which actually seems like a bad idea given the dew heaters carry a lot of current, and also probably in opposite and changing directions vs. camera power.

asicamerasdk2.txt

435kB

mralpaca

I have been trying all day on this with a new power supply and new usb cable all day and it is still having the same error and the static across

asicamerasdk.txt

1MB

the image, unfortunately.

mralpaca

I took the camera to Woodland Hills Telescope, who had an extra board, and they tried to replace it. Unfortunately, the issue still persists. Can you please advise on how to send the camera back? The technician (super nice guy btw Victor helped me) said he thinks the chip itself is defective.

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca Uploaded you can find it on the case detail page.

mralpaca

Well received. What is the typical turn-around time for a repair? I would love to have it be fully repaired and to me by the time I get back from my vacation in 4 weeks.

Thank you

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca Usually will finish the repair within two weeks after receive it.

mralpaca

Do you still ship to China or is it repaired in the USA now?

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca In USA now.

mralpaca

Hello- I wanted to check in on the repair. I received an email Monday that the camera had arrived, but I have not received anything else. Is this normal? I also submitted a few documents I need your technician to fill out for my extended warranty that Amex Platinum offers. Is this also possible to fill out?

Thank you,

Alex

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca Yes, you can the status on the case page, and usually the repair will be finished within two weeks after we receive it.
For the extended warranty, you can leave the comments on the case page, our RMA team will reply to you soon.

mralpaca

Thank you. I sent in the documentation I would like the ZWO technician to fill out along with some details. I am just waiting for the invoice.

mralpaca

I received my camera back and it appears to be working properly- thank you. I am, however, very disappointed by the state of the sensor window / internal dust. The camera never looked like this before, as I had never opened it up. I would have expected the camera to come back as clean as it was sent in, in "factory condition", especially for the price paid for the repair. I am very disappointed by the ZWO team's lack of attention to detail, as I now need to clean the camera myself, and risk damaging the components in the process. In the future, if your quality team could take an additional minute or two to just clean everything, I am sure you will be delivering cameras in "factory form" to people. I have seen several complaints like this on the forums, so I know it is not only me, unfortunately.

This is completely unacceptable and an issue that I will need to think further about when making my next camera purchase.

Thanks

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. All cameras, including those that have been repaired, should be thoroughly inspected before leaving the factory. I have forwarded this issue to our RMA team, and they are currently investigating it. They will contact you shortly to provide an explanation and a solution. Once again, we apologize for any trouble this may have caused.

mralpaca

Hello,

I followed the instructions provided by your technician in the internal chat and it didn’t clean the sensor and window enough for my satisfaction. It seems like there is a film or oil that was left on the camera as a result of the repair. I am extremely disappointed in ZWO for this and would like to send the camera back for a proper cleaning, but I have not heard back in a few days regarding my request (which was an offer provided by the ZWO team to make it right). I also don’t want to be without a camera for 4 weeks like I was earlier in the summer, and was guaranteed a one week turn around time last time. I hate to air my dirty laundry, but the lack of response is concerning.

Thanks,

Alex

Tech@ZWO

mralpaca Sorry for the trouble, I'm confirming the situation with my colleague, she will contact you later.

RKG

I have had my 2600MM Pro "repaired" twice in the last 4 months. The same problem occurred 2 days ago and my 2600 is again a 2 lb cylindrical piece of metal with ZWO telling me to send FITS data and start the repair process for a 4th time in 5 months. This is absolutely absurd. I've done everything requested by ZWO to repair this 2600 including replacing the motherboard. 5 months later it still doesn't work!! Since the latest failure I am being asked to repeat this repair cycle by starting over from scratch with all the same basic troubleshooting questions as if you people had no idea what's going on. Up until 2 days ago I was very seriously considering the purchase of an ASI2600MM Pro. I'm now looking at different options from different vendors. It is definitely looking like ZWO does not have their technical support act together at all.

Tech@ZWO

RKG I sincerely apologize for the repeated issues you've encountered with your ASI2600MM Pro camera and the frustration this has caused. I understand how disappointing it must be to face the same problem multiple times.
Could you tell me your RMA number, i will confirm and escalate this matter to our senior technical team immediately to ensure we address the root cause of the problem rather than continuing the same troubleshooting process.